As is known, wheel hubs in vehicles are coupled in a non permanent way to the wheel and rotor element of the brake, using screws or nuts. Moreover, in these vehicles, the wheel flange (or the section of the wheel that connects the rim-tire assembly to the wheel hub) and the rim are manufactured by way of a single piece of sheet steel or light alloy.
Consequently, wheel dismantling, to replace the tire, for instance, requires the separation of the wheel flange from the wheel hub, by the removal of the appropriate tightening screws.
In the same but opposite way, wheel mounting on the hub requires the tightening of these screws, generating efforts that can cause adjacent parts, and, in particular, the brake rotor, to be deformed. The latter can therefore be less efficient and be subjected to faster wearing or to vibrations.
Another solution is available for secured axle industrial vehicles, in which the rim is manufactured as a separate element from the flange, which is obtained as an integral component of the wheel hub assembly, and which constitutes the section in which the external ring of the rolling bearing is mounted.
Solutions described present some disadvantages. Firstly, and in particular, added to the possible deformation of the brake rotor, the user may find it difficult to remove and replace the tire, in the event of a hole. Secondly, the weight and cost of the wheel hub assembly become too high for automobile purposes.